The present invention relates to a structure of electronic circuits having optimized bulk as a function of the volume available.
When aircraft, in particular combat aircraft, are required to carry bulky electronic equipment, and when the room available is limited, and especially when this equipment requires a clear xe2x80x9cviewxe2x80x9d for example towards the front of the aircraft, this equipment is placed in the nose of the carrier, in the base of the fin, in the wings or in xe2x80x9cpodsxe2x80x9d (special containers) fixed under the craft. The shape of these locations where the equipment can be housed is often very jagged and/or their dimensions are small, thereby preventing utilization of the entire volume available, owing to the fact that this equipment is generally enclosed in packages of simple geometrical shapes, which cannot be matched to the said jagged shapes.
The subject of the present invention is a structure of electronic circuits whose external shape can easily be matched in an optimal manner to virtually any shape of housing intended to receive this equipment, this being achieved without disturbing the operation of the equipment, whose components may be as diverse as possible, whilst having optimal performance.
The structure in accordance with the invention comprises at least one stack of layers comprising at least one of the following elements: electrical circuits, electronic circuits, optical circuits, waveguides, discrete components, integrated components, protector elements, thermal elements, insulation elements, stiffening elements; these layers being substantially parallel to the largest surfaces of the volume available, in particular substantially plane surfaces, or at the very least the most plane surfaces of the volume available. Advantageously, at least one of the lateral surfaces of the structure optimally hugs the least plane shape of the volume available. Thus, by virtue of the invention, the said elements can occupy a volume of arbitrary shapes, including shapes having small radius of curvature.